Yarn feeding means foe knitting



April 24, 1934. F. E. JONES 1,955,748

YARN FEEDING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 6. 1922 7Sheets-Sheet 1 Eye. 6 44 EIEIIEJEIIIIIIIEI Invenihrr fiani eE-Jowes,

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April 24, 1934. F, E; JONES 1,955,748

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YARN FEEDING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 6, 1922 7Sheets-Sheet 7 I Inve 21/307 Ra nkE'. Jonea.

Patented Apr. 24, 1934 PATENT QFFICE YARN FEEDING MEANS FOR KNITTINGMACHINES Frank E. Jones, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company,Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 6,1922, Serial No. 566,388

2 Claims.

This invention relates to yarn feeding means for knitting machines, andparticularly to means for feeding a reinforcing yarn to circularknitting machines for varying lengths of portions of 1 i successivecourses, as, for example, at the heel portion of a stocking for theformation of a socallecl high splice, the edges of which are notparallel to each other, but which are inclined, as, for example, to meetor substantially to meet at a point at the back of the stocking.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood,I have disclosed one embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings,wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a so-called seamless stocking tothe making of the high splice heel portion whereof my invention may beapplied;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a knitting machine 0 to which myinvention may be applied;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of said mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion only ofthe mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the upper part of the mechanism shown inFig. 6 looking from the .4 a machine of the Well known Banner typedisclosed in the patent to Joshua D. Hemphill, No. 933,443, datedDecember 7, 1909. In this type of machine, the needle cylinder iscylindrical and rotates, while the cams remain stationary and althoughthe machine disclosed is for the purpose of producing hosiery, it isobviously not limited to this class of work. I will, however, describemy invention as applied to a machine of the said type without in allrespects limiting it thereto.

Generally speaking, the machine includes a rotating needle cylinder 1mounted on a suitable table 2 constituting apart of the frame of theknitting machine, and as is customary in this type of machine, saidcylinder is arranged to be rotated and reciprocated to form thefashioned and tubular portions of a stocking respectively. The means foreifecting the rotary and reciprocatory movements are substantially thesame as those shown and described in the said Hemphill patent, and beingwell known need no further description.

A plurality of yarn feeding elements is pro vided and which are hereinshown as consisting of five pivoted yarn guides 3, 4, 5, 6, '7, allpivoted at 8 upon a partial ring 9 shown in plan in Fig. 5 and itselfsuitably pivoted at 10 in Fig. 3, so that it may be swung up out ofaction to afford access to the needles or for any other purpose. Thering 9 is of the type usually employed in the Banner machine equippedwith spring beard needles but obviously my invention may be employed inconnection with either spring beard or latch needles, and in the lattercase a complete circle latch ring would be employed.

Each of said yarn guides, excepting the yarn guide '7 is normallypressed or urged into action by one of a series of levers 11, one ofwhich is indicated in Fig. 6 as mounted at 12 upon a standard 13 risingfrom the framework of the machine, each lever having attached to itsouter or right hand end viewing Fig. 6 a coil spring 14 connected at itslower end to a screw or pin 15 on the standard 13, thus tending to moveeach of the specified levers into operative position. Such movement ofsaid levers into operative position is, however, at times opposed andovercome by a series of levers, one for each of said yarn guides 3 to 6,one of such levers being indicated at 16 in Fig. 6 as pivoted at 1'7upon the standard 13 and having connected to its right hand end viewingsaid figure a wire or link 18 extending downward to and connected to asuitable lever 19 riding upon a suitable cam 20 mounted upon a disk ordrum on the cam shaft 21 in a manner not necessary herein to describe,as it is similar to the construction shown in the said Hemphill patent.There being four levers 16 for the four yarn guides 3, 4, 5, 6, it isevident that according to the dictates of the cams upon the disk ordrum, the yarn guides 3, 4, 5 and 6 are permitted to act at suitabletimes, as, for example, to supply a thread for the leg of the stocking,another for the heel, another for the reinforcement of the heel andanother for the foot.

In addition to the yarn guides 3, 4, 5, 6, there is provided, as stated,a yarn guide 7, to which this invention more particularly relates, andthe purpose of which in the disclosed embodiment of the invention is toprovide a high splice reinforcing yarn above the heel and desirably forsuccessively increasing lengths or portions of a series of successivecourses constituting said high splice. For that purpose, the said yarnguide 7 is pivoted at 8 and its outer rounded end is adapted to beengaged between the spaced projections 22, 23 of a lever 24 pivoted at25 upon a bracket 26 extending upward from a standard 27 and having anend 28 adapted to ride upon a pattern drum 29 mounted for rotative andsliding movement upon a shaft 30 itself mounted in standards 31, 32shown most clearly in Fig. 7 as rising from a bracket 33 secured uponthe bed plate of the machine as shown also in Fig. 3. The shaft 30 has aspline 33 thereon which enters a groove 34 in the pattern drum 29, sothat the rotation of said shaft 36 compels the rotation of said drum butpermits the traverse of the drum lengthwise said shaft by the mechanismhereinafter described.

The said drum 29 has a portion 35 of its surface of reduced diameter andthe remaining portion 36 of the surface is of the full diameter of thedrum. The reduced diameter portion 35 is of gradually increasingcircumferential extent starting from one end of the drum, as is clearlyevi dent from Fig. 5, said portion 35 being spaced or separated from theportion 36 by the walls or edges 37, 38 extending in the curved orinclined lines shown so that in the rotation of the drum, the end 28 ofthe lever 24 engages or rides upon increasingly prolonged peripheralportions of the reduced diameter portion 35 as the pattern drum istraversed, and thus the yarn guide 7 is moved positively down intoaction for gradually increasing portions of each of a plurality ofsuccessive courses, so as to feed its thread to the needles as areinforcing thread for the indicated portions of such courses. It willbe evident from the foregoing description that the drum has two portionsof its peripheral surface of different diameters separated by linesinclined to a line along said surface normal to the ends of said drum.

At the commencement of the reinforcing action of the yarn guide 7 thedrum 29'may be assumed to be in the position shown in Fig. '7 and atthat time the said yarn guide '7 is permitted to feed its reinforcingyarn for the minimum length of time dependent upon the short peripheralextent of the portion 35. This would provide for reinforcem nt at whatmay be termed the point of a high splice reinforcement at the centre ofthe back of the stocking. As the drum 29 is traversed axially at auniform speed, the yarn guide 7 will periodically be positively moveddown into action for successively increasing lengths of partial courses,so that a reinforcement tapered from a point or substantially a point inopposite directions down to the opposite sides of the heel is provided,as indicated at 39 in Fig. 1, after which the regular reinforcement forthe heel pocket is provided by another yarn guide for that purpose.

It will be understood that so long as the yarn guide '7 is controlled bythe pattern drum 29 said yarn guide will be moved into and out of actionfor successively increasing lengths of time for the purpose stated. Atother times, however, the said yarn guide 7 is held positively out ofaction by one of the series of levers 16, it being understood that thenumber of said levers 16 is equal to the entire number of yarn guides 3to '7. Furthermore the lever 16 for the yarn guide '7 will be socontrolled that it will move the end 28 of the lever 24 slightly aboveand out of contact with the pattern drum 29 whenever said drum is notfunctioning, and this non-functioning position of the yarn guide 7 andits lever 16 will also occur during the reverse movement or traverse ofthe pattern drum 29, that is, the movement thereof toward the rightviewing Fig. 7.

Any suitable means may be provided to rotate and to traverse the patterndrum 29. Herein for the purpose I have provided the following mechanism.Fast upon the shaft 30 is a beveled gear 40 meshing with two beveledgears 41, 42, each normally loose upon an upright shaft 43 supported inextensions 44, 45 of the bracket 32 and having fast upon its lower end abeveled gear 46 meshing with and driven by a beveled gear 47 upon asuitably supported shaft 48, also having fast thereon a gear 49 whichmeshes with and is driven by the large gear wheel 50 on the main driveshaft 51 of the machine.

The beveled gears 41, 42 are adapted periodically to be alternatelyclutched to the shaft 43 and therefore periodically alternately torotate the shaft 30 in opposite directions, the gear 41 being employedto rotate the pattern drum 29 While the same is being traversed towardthe left viewing Fig. '7, and the beveled gear 42 being employed torotate said pattern drum when the same is being traversed toward theright in Fig. 7. The clutch for alternately connecting the beveled gears41, 42 to the shaft 43 is indicated at 52 in Figs. 4, 7 and 8, saidclutch having members 53, 54, adapted to interengage with correspondingformations upon the beveled gears 41, 42, to effect the functioning andnon-functioning traverses of the pattern drum 29, after which said gears41, 42 stand or remain unclutched until the time occurs to form the highsplice upon the next stocking.

In order to shift the said clutch at the proper times, it is mountedupon one end of a lever 55 pivoted at 56 upon the standard, and havingconnected to its opposite end at 57 a wire or link 58 extending downwardto and pivotally connected at 59 to a lever 60 itself pivoted at 61uponthe framing of the machine. The opposite end of said lever 60 isprovided with a nose 62 bearing upon a cam 63 upon the cam shaft 21.Said cam 63 is provided with an elevation 64 and so long as the nose 62of the lever 60 is in engagement with the cam 64, the gear 41 isclutched to the shaft 43 with the result that the pattern drum 29 isrotated and traversed toward the left viewing Fig. '7, so as to causethe yarn guide '7 to present its yarn or thread for increasing lengthsof time to the needles and thus to form a tapered high splice in themanner already described, it being understood that the yarn of the yarnguide 7 for those parts of the high splice courses wherein said yarn isnot fed to the needles, may be and desirably is floated untilreintroduced and is cut out after completion of the knitting.

Immediately succeeding the cam 64 is a depression 65 which is below thelevel of the cam 63 and when the nose 62 of the lever 60 rides in saiddepression 65, the bevel gear 42 is splined to the shaft 43 and the drum29 is rotated and traversed toward the right viewing Figure 7, so as toreturn the pattern drum to its initial position. This is thenon-functioning traverse of the pattern drum and during such returnmovement of said pattern drum the yarn guide '7 is not permitted to bethrown into and out of action by the pattern drum 29 but the said yarnguide is held out of action by the lever 16 therefor in the manneralready described.

The cam portion 63 is of a height intermediate between the elevation 64and the depression 65 and said cam 63 also serves to hold the yarn guide7 out of functioning relation with respect to the pattern drum 29, sothat said yarn guide does not function. The length of the cam portion 63corresponds to length of time that the pattern drum 29 remainsstationary, without either traversing or rotatory movement, inasmuch asneither gear 41 or 42 is clutched to the shaft 43. In other words theyarn guide 7 is permitted to function by throwing its yarn intoengagement with the needles and withdrawing it therefrom forsuccessively increasing lengths of time or portions of courses, onlywhile the nose 62 of the lever 60 is in engagement with the cam 64.

Any suitable means may be provided to traverse the pattern drum 29.Herein for that purpose I have provided a gear 66 upon the shaft 30shown most clearly in Figs. 5 and 7 as meshing with a larger gear 67upon a worm or screw 68 mounted in the brackets 31, 32 in parallelismwith the shaft 30. The speed of rotation of the worm is such as to causethe pattern drum 29 to be traversed at the proper speed to form thetapered. high splice already described.

In order to cause the ro-tative movement of the worm 68 to be conveyedto the drum 29 and result in a traversing movement of the latter, I haveprovided upon one end of the drum a ring like member 69 which encirclesthe shaft 30 with capacity of slight circumferential movement withrespectto said shaft 30, for which purpose said member 69 is providedwith curved slots 70 receiving screws 71 in a washer 72 by which saidwasher is secured to the end of the pattern drum 29. The said ring likemember 69 is provided with a radial arm 73 carrying a half nut 74, thethreads whereof engage those of the worm 68. The said half nut 74 isheld in yielding driving relation with the worm 68 by means of a plunger75 received in a recess 76 of the nut 74, the said plunger itself beinghollow and receiving therein a coiled spring 77 which at one end pressesat 78 against the half nut 74 and at the other end 79 against theplunger 75. The said plunger 75 bears against the inclined face 80 of abracket 81, the said face being of sufficient length to receive theplunger during the entire traversing movement of the pattern drum 29 andhence during that entire time to hold the half nut 74 in drivingrelation with the worm 68.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that at thecommencement of the high splice the pattern drum 29 is in substantiallythe position shown in Fig. 7 and that at that time the beveled gear 41is cluched to the shaft 42, so that said pattern drum is rotated and atthe same time is slowly traversed toward the left viewing Fig. 7,

and therefore the yarn guide 7 is moved in and out of action so as tosupply the yarn to the needles for successively increasing lengths ofpartial successive courses, and to float the yarn during the remainingportions of said partial courses, until the bottom'of the high splice isreached at any suitable point, as, for instance, at the top of the heelpocket. At that time, the toe 62 of the lever 60 rides off the cam 64into the recess 65 and accordingly the bevel gear 42 is clutched to theshaft 30 and the pattern drum 29 is traversed non-functioningly in theopposite direction, during which time the yarn guide 7 is held up ininactive position by its. lever 16. When the neutral cam portion 63 isreached, the effect upon the lever 60 is to hold the yarn guide 7 in itsnon-functioning elevated position. So long as lever 60 rides upon thecam portion 63, the pattern drum 29 remains quiescent, without eitherrotation or traverse, it being in position to act upon the yarn guide '7when the tip of the high splice of the next stocking is reached.

Within the scope of my invention the pattern drum 29 may be utilized toreinforce other parts of knitted fabrics, and the contour of its surfacemay accordingly be varied as required.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, Idesire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes oflimitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims.

I claim:-

1. Means for feeding a reinforcing yarn to the needles of knittingmachines to produce reinforced areas having non-parallel sidescomprising a movable reinforcing yarn finger, a pattern drum having yarnfinger controlling formations upon its periphery with which said fingeris adapted to cooperate, said drum having its shaft provided with agear, two driving gears therefor, and means periodically to clutcheither of said gears to said shaft gear to effect opposite traversing ofsaid drum.

2. Means for feeding a reinforcing yarn to the needles of knittingmachines to produce reinforced areas having nonparallel sides comprisinga movable reinforcing yarn finger, a pattern drum having yarn fingercontrolling formations upon its periphery with which said finger isadapted to cooperate, said drum having its shaft provided with a gear,two driving gears therefor, and means periodically to clutch either ofsaid gears to said shaft gear to effect rotation and opposite traversingmovement of said drum.

FRANK E. JONES.

